CEDAR PARK, Texas — Cleanup efforts are underway across Central Texas, and local landscaping companies are working around the clock.
Douglas Cathey, the owner of Cathey's Tree Service, told KVUE on a regular week, they get about 15 calls. In the past few days they've been getting almost 200 calls per day.
"It's overwhelming," he said. "It's a full-time job just to keep up with the incoming calls."
Grace Wilson, operations manager at Cathey's Tree Service, said they already had a busy season ahead because of oak wilt season. Now, add the winter storm damage. They're booked for the next six months, and they're having to decide which calls to prioritize.
"Yesterday, we had to rescue somebody," said Wilson. "They couldn't get out of their home. And so we're seeing a lot of that. Those are a top priority because they need to be able to leave their homes to go to the grocery store, and so I pushed those guys to the top of the list."
They're also prioritizing people whose homes are compromised, like Kay Dunning's, whose tree was broken by the storm.
"This beautiful cedar we have in our backyard," said Dunning. "Only a fourth of the canopy was left on one side. And a tree that high, if we had another storm, would fall possibly and damage our home."
Dunning's tree was removed all the way down to the stump.
Wilson said staff has been working long, 12-hour shifts to try and keep up with demand.
"There's only so much our bodies can handle," said Wilson. "We're not machines, we're people. So even though we've been doing this type of work for a decade or more, you know, our seasoned body still can only handle so much."